Brand new to all this

[Steve Ludy]

I’d like to get opinions on building a coop from plans versus buying a kit. Any recommendations on good places to look for both plans and kits. By ordnance, we are limited to 6 hens if that helps the discussion.

 

[3KillerBs]

I’d like to get opinions on building a coop from plans versus buying a kit. Any recommendations on good places to look for both plans and kits. By ordnance, we are limited to 6 hens if that helps the discussion.

If by "kit" you mean the little prefabs that come flat-packed for you to assemble, you'll find that few people here have a good word to say about them. They are, with few exceptions, undersized, ill-ventilated, and made of very poor quality wood.

Plans vary wildly from very bad to absolutely outstanding. If you have something specific in mind you can show them to us and we'll evaluate them for you.

Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

What level of DIY skills do you have? As a general rule, chicken coops are undemanding, but there are some that are beginner-easy and some that allow a master craftsman to show off.

Here are my Rules of Thumb about chicken coops:

• If it looks like a dollhouse it's only suitable for toy chickens.
• If it's measured in inches instead of feet it's too small.
• If your walk-in closet is larger than the coop-run combo you're thinking of buying think carefully about whether you have an utterly awesome closet or are looking at a seriously undersized chicken coop.
• If it has more nestboxes than the number of chickens it can legitimately hold the designer knew nothing about chickens' actual needs and it probably has other design flaws too.

And some general information:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

 

[Sammi_0411]

Hey from the UK! Welcome to BYC it's lovely to have you here lots of useful knowledge and advice on here and everyone trys to assist with any questions or queries.
XxSamXx

 

[aart]

Plans vary wildly from very bad to absolutely outstanding.

Yes, Indeed!

First learn what a good coop design is for your climate.
Then start looking for plans/kits.
Don't have a lot of hope to find a good design without modificaations.

 

[Steve Ludy]

If by "kit" you mean the little prefabs that come flat-packed for you to assemble, you'll find that few people here have a good word to say about them. They are, with few exceptions, undersized, ill-ventilated, and made of very poor quality wood.

Plans vary wildly from very bad to absolutely outstanding. If you have something specific in mind you can show them to us and we'll evaluate them for you.

Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

What level of DIY skills do you have? As a general rule, chicken coops are undemanding, but there are some that are beginner-easy and some that allow a master craftsman to show off.

Here are my Rules of Thumb about chicken coops:

• If it looks like a dollhouse it's only suitable for toy chickens.
• If it's measured in inches instead of feet it's too small.
• If your walk-in closet is larger than the coop-run combo you're thinking of buying think carefully about whether you have an utterly awesome closet or are looking at a seriously undersized chicken coop.
• If it has more nestboxes than the number of chickens it can legitimately hold the designer knew nothing about chickens' actual needs and it probably has other design flaws too.

And some general information:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

Thanks, I’ll stay away from the prefab.
We’re just a few miles North of Frederick, Md. I have found some plans for a 4’x8’ shed style. I‘ve done some building and it is within my capabilities, but I’m not a master craftsman by any stretch. I do need to read more about ventilation to see if modifications are needed. Have more tha enough space for a run.
Id like to find some more plan options.

 

[Steve Ludy]

Yes, Indeed!

First learn what a good coop design is for your climate.
Then start looking for plans/kits.
Don't have a lot of hope to find a good design without modificaations.

We are in Frederick Md. I’ll start driving around and talking to people who have coops now.

 

[David61]

Forgive me for saying but i wing it myself. Now i know carpentry and can build so...
Here is my build. its been three years now and its been great.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/10x6-roofed-with-a-8x20-run.1325133/

 

[Krugerrand]

I bought some plans off Etsy for $10 but then made many modifications, mostly to improve ventilation.

One thing to consider is how you intend to manage your flock long-term. Will you cull for meat? Most of what is available out there will drop in egg production after a year or two. If you start with your maximum capacity, do you plan to let them live out their lives? Will you wait until some die to replace them? Adding to an existing flock requires some quarantine space for started birds. Chicks require less quarantine issues, but have other issues - they still need extra space. Plan on always adding/keeping more than 1at a time. They don't like to be alone.

All that to say build to your maximum capacity, but you may or may not want to start with that many. Have a plan and be open to plans changing.

We started with 4 'hens.' One got re-homed when he crowed. One recently died from issues in her egg tract. Now that we're down to 2 I'm working on building a secondary tractor for isolating 2 more to add to the group. Our plan is to add 2 to bring the size to 4 as needed. Since the kids view them as pets, they get to live out their lives past prime production age.

 

[Krugerrand]

One more thing .... Know your predators. Plan for them in your build. Electric fence and/or 1/2" hardware cloth are your friends. Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep out predators.

It's good to spend some time reading other people's experiences:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/predators-and-pests.13/

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Welcome from New Orleans. You have gotten so great information so far. There are also some great articles on coop builds. If you haven't already, you may want to read a few just to get some ideas. Good Luck.